Tank heater



' Jan. 29, 1929.

1,700,285 o. D. DIBBERN` A l TANK HEATER Fld FOb. 17. 1927 im mit Mlillm Ow @www aucun Patented `an. 29, 1929.

buiten lsrNrEs OTTO D.4 DIBBERN, F GAIN'A, IOWA.

TANK HEATER.

Application mea 'February 1'?, 1927. serial im. 169,055.

My invention relates to tank heaters, particularly of the type which is adapted to be submerged in the ordinary stock water# ing tank and to be removable therefrom when not needed forv heating the water in the tank.

An object of my invention is to provide such a heater of the utmost simplicity of construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a heater which is adapted with a minimum amount of fuel to heat two separate regions in the body of water.

Another object of the invention is to provide a heater of simple construction'enabling the ready withdrawal and replacement of the heating unit.

Another objectof the-invention is to provide a heater adapted to obtain the maximum heating eflect from the heating element.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction,` arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the heater.

Fig. 2 is a transverse, central, sectional view of the heater immersed in a body of water.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, central, sectional view of the same.

The heater of myV invention embodies generally a heating chamber adapted to be immersed in a body of water, a heating unit such as a kerosene lamp or the like and air fiues to provide a circulation of oxygen for the lamp and adapted to reach above the body of water.

There are several problems connected with the successful operation of such a heater. Primarily, itis desirable, of course, to obtain the maximum amount of heating effect from the heating unit. In many of the heaters now on the market, an attempt is made to heat the entire body of water within the tank.

It is unnecessary ordinarily to heat the entire body of water in the tank and to do so is therefore a waste of fuel. Ordinarily, however, it is desirable tok heat the water surrounding the ioat and also to heat a clear area fromwhich the stock may drink.

My invention contemplates a heater which is so constructed as to heat two separated areas in the body of waterk and to obtain the maximum heating effect from the heating unity in doing so. To this end I provide an elongated chamberI having the end walls 10, the side walls 11 and 12, the bottom 13 andthe top 14. The chamber A is adapted to be immersed completely in a body of water as indicated at 15 and to be supplied with heat from a lamp or heating unit 16. The lamp 16 must be frequently removed for the replenishing of its fuel supply and in order that this may be easily accomplished and for the further purpose of supplying fresh air for the combustion of the fuel, I provide a flue B. The flue has the forward wall 17, rear wall 18, side walls 19 and a bottom 20 which may be formed as a continuation of the bottom 13 and which is preferably positioned in the same plane with the bottom 13. The wall 17 is cut away to leave a space equal in height to the height of the chamber A and the flue is secured to the wall 12 of the chamber in any suitable way as by soldering or brazing or the like. The wall 12-of the chamber is provided with an opening 21 which provides communication between the chamber and the flue and which is substantially the same width as the iiue. The opening 21 extends from the bottom of the chamber to a point intermediate the bottom and the top thereof, thereby leaving a portion of the wall 12 partially closing the opening in the wall 17 and forming a dead air space in the lupper region of the chamber. This dead air space is important in obtaining the maximum heating effect from the lamp 16 as will later be shown.

A considerable amount of heated gases from the lamp 16 will pass upward and be trapped within the dead air space just referred to and will thereby heat the walls of the chamber A so as to conduct heat into the body of water. However,'this method of conducting away the heat from the heater will not produce the desired effect of concentrating the heat in two spots in a Abody of water and I therefore provide a plurality of water tubes occupying thek space above the upper extremity of the opening 21.- An upper series of tubes 22 is'positioned in a plane extending r upwardly from one end of the chamber A to the otheroend; a lower series of tubes 23 is positioned inv a plane somewhat.

inclined upwardly from the latter mentioned end to the first mentioned end. The tubes 23 are staggered relative to the tubes 22, in order that the currents of heated may more readily flow upwardly so as to deliver the most heat to the tubes.

It will now be seen that the water standing in the tubes 22 and 23 will tlow in the direction indicated by the arrows 24 and 25 respectively. Currents will be created {iowing in both directions from either end et the chamber, the heated water from the centers of the tubes tending to rise and thereby to flow to the higher ends thereof.

The tubes 23 are extended beyond the end oit the chamber A at their higher ends and beyond the ends ot the tubes 22 which terminate in the end ot the chamber. The purpose of so extending the tubes 23 is to prevent the heated water, flowing trom the ends .of these tubes, being drawn back into the adjacent ends ot the tubes 22 and thereby de- `ifeating the object of providing an ascending current oi heated water each end of the heater. The higher ends of the tubes 22 are also shown extending beyond the end wall ot the chamber, thus making the tubes 22 and 23 of the same length. lt will be understood, however, that it is not essential to the proper functioning of the heater that the tubes 22 be extended.

The opening 21 is ot sufficient height to allow the passage of the lamp 16 and the tiue 17 is oi suiiicient diameter to allow the lamp to be lifted vertically without disturbing the heater. In removing or replacing the lamp, it is simply slid alongthe bottom 13 and the bottom 20 and lifted or lowered vertically in the iiue B.

I provide a vent tube 26 for allowing escape of the gases from the chamber A. and for creating a draft downwardly in the Hue B. The tube 26 extends through the top wall lll to which it is secured and downwardly into the dead air space in the upper portion ot the chamber A so that the hottest gases will be retained at the top ot the chamber and will not escape until after they have cooled rihe lower end of the tube 26 is positioned above the opening 2l, however, in order that the heated gases may escape through the vent tube more readily than throughthe iiue B. Consequently the circulation of the gases will be as indicated by theV arrows 27. lDue to the arrangement of the wat-cr tubes 22 and 23 in the upper portion of the chamber which forms a dead air space, the heated gases are held for a suiiicient length ot time to give up a large portion of their heat to the water in the tubes and consequently the lamp 16 need supply only enough flame to lreepy the trapped gases in the dead air space at the proper temperature. The circulation of air and gases will therefore be comparatively slow and the small vent tube 26, although many times smaller in cross section than the flue B, will serve to release the spent gases and to create the desired circulation of fresh air to the lamp.

@ne end oi the heater may be positioned under the float and the other end under the spot where it is desired to prevent the formation of a film of ice over the water. The circulation et the heated water from the ends of the tubes 22 and 23 being upwardly, it will be seen that it is only necessaryv to raise the temperature of the water which lies above the tubes and since it is only necessary to warm this portion of the water sufficiently to prevent freezing, it will be seen that thev amount of heat which need be supplied will not be very great. In this connection, it will be noted that the bigger percentage ot heat which is delivered from the heater is delivered at a plane which is very close to the top of the heater. The `water below the discharge ends of the tubes is not heated to any considerable extent and since it is only necessary to heat the surface of the water in a tank, it will be seen that by placing the heater near enough to the surface so that the discharge ends ot the tubes will be separated from the surface oit'Y theA water by only a small body of water, that treezing will he adequately prevented 'without heating` any considerable portion of the water in the tank. Since the heated water will remain at the top oi' the tank, theonly escape ot heat will be by conduction into the surrounding water and into the atmosphere. There will be no escape ot heat from the heated areas by circulation of the water in the tank. Y I

Some changes may be made in the con* struction and arrangement of the parts 4of my invention without departing from the real spirit and purpose ot my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claim, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

In a tank heater, an inclosed, elongated heating chamber, a pair of series oi' water tubes extending from end to end ofy the chamber and communicating ,with the exterior thereof through the `end walls, one series ot tubes being inclined upwardly and toward one end of the chamber, the other series ot tubes being inclined upwardly and toward the other end ot the chamber, the higher ends ot thelower series being vextended substantially beyond the lower ends ot the higher series to prevent the setting up of direct convection currents between the higher ends of the lower series of tubes and the lower ends of the higher series.

lil() Signed this 12th day of February, 1927, in Y: the county ot llVoodbury and State of lowa. Y

OTTO' D. DIBBERN. 

